Aerobic exercise, which works cardiovascular endurance, can improve the quality of life of people with asthma, a study has found.
- So-called “aerobic” physical activities have the effect of increasing the capacity of the heart, lungs and muscles. We also talk about endurance or “cardio” sports.
- A study reveals that this type of exercise, practiced regularly and intensively, is associated with an improvement in the quality of life of people with asthma, as well as the control of their asthma.
- Study participants were required to complete 45 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity training three times a week for three months.
Brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, HIIT… but also climbing stairs. So-called “aerobic” physical activities have the effect of increasing the capacity of the heart, lungs and muscles. We more commonly talk about endurance sports or “cardio”, because there is nothing like it to boost the cardiovascular/respiratory system, according to various studies, and thus ward off many chronic diseases.
A team of researchers from the University of Newcastle in Australia now suggests that this type of exercise, practiced regularly and intensively, can also prove beneficial in the shorter term, by improving the quality of life of people with asthma, a common respiratory disorder for which there is currently no cure.
Endurance exercise improves asthma-related quality of life
As part of their work, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: in Practiceresearchers from the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia, recruited 41 adults with asthma. To compare the effects of aerobic exercise on asthma outcomes and inflammation, they randomly assigned them to three different groups: one group did 45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise three times a week for 12 weeks, and the other group did 30 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise. The third, a control group, underwent routine checkups only.
Based on the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), a measurement instrument designed to assess the quality of life of asthmatics, the researchers confirmed the benefits of cardio: compared to the control cohort, participants who had practiced moderate-intensity training experienced a statistically and clinically significant improvement in asthma-related quality of life and asthma control.
The benefits of moderate to vigorous intensity training
As for the volunteers in the vigorous intensity group, they reported “a statistically, but not clinically, significant improvement” quality of life and asthma control, compared to the control group, we can read in a communicated. Still, both types of exercises are “beneficial” And “may be recommended for adults with asthma”depending on their preference.
In detail, the scientists observed, after moderate or vigorous intensity training, “a reduction in upper body fat mass, which was associated with improved AQLQ and reduced interleukin-6 [une substance clé dans la régulation de l’inflammation chronique] in the sputum”. It should be noted, however, that“no association with change in physical condition was observed.”
